Ingrid Scheffer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ingrid Scheffer
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Ingrid Scheffer at the Royal Society admissions day in London, July 2018
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Ingrid Eileen Scheffer
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| Education | Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne (PhD) |
| Awards | Prime Minister's Prizes for Science (2014) L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2012) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Epilepsy Neurology |
| Institutions | Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health |
| Thesis | Inherited epilepsy syndromes in multiplex families (1988) |
Ingrid Eileen Scheffer is an Australian doctor who specializes in brain and nerve problems in children. She is known as a paediatric neurologist. She is also a senior research fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.
Dr. Scheffer has made huge discoveries in understanding epilepsy. This is a condition that causes seizures. She even found the very first gene linked to epilepsy! She has also helped to name and understand new types of epilepsy.
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Becoming a Doctor and Scientist
Ingrid Eileen Scheffer was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. This was on December 21, 1958. She finished high school at Methodist Ladies' College in 1976.
After high school, she went to Monash University. There, she earned her medical degrees in 1983. Later, she completed her PhD in neurology at the University of Melbourne in 1998.
Dr. Scheffer trained to become a children's brain doctor at the Royal Children's Hospital in Australia. She also studied in the UK at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. She learned even more about epilepsy at the Austin Hospital.
Discovering More About Epilepsy
Ingrid Scheffer has worked hard to understand what causes epilepsy. She has also helped to describe new types of epilepsy. These types can affect people from babies to adults.
Her work helps doctors to diagnose these conditions better. It also helps them find the right treatments. For example, she helped describe Dravet Syndrome. This is a severe type of epilepsy.
Her research also helps families understand if epilepsy might be passed down. This is called genetic counseling.
Awards and Special Recognition
Dr. Scheffer has received many awards for her important work. In 2014, she won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science. She shared this award with her close friend and fellow scientist, Professor Sam Berkovic. They won for their work on finding the genes linked to epilepsy.
Some of her other awards include:
- American Epilepsy Society Research Recognition Award (2007)
- RACP Eric Susman Prize (2009)
- GSK Award for Research Excellence (2013)
- ILAE Ambassador for Epilepsy Award (2013)
- Australian Neuroscience Medallion (2013)
- Emil Becker Prize for child neurology (2013)
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science (2012)
- Prime Minister's Prize for Science (2014)
- Order of Australia (2014)
- Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
- Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Ingrid Scheffer para niños
